102 CASE Hilton Turns to Veterans to Staff the Ranks Military veterans represent an excellent pool of talent for or- ganizations, a reality that many HR professionals are start- ing to realize. Members of the military are given extensive training and have unique job experiences that often translate Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may he suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter() Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Leaming reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require t SECTION 1 The Environment of Human Resource Management decision-making, communication, and team-based skills in individuals, and these attributes can benefit business organizations. into marketable knowledge, skills, and abilities. For instance, veterans are keenly focused on safety, flexibility, and preci- sion in the workplace, characteristics that are useful in many civilian jobs. Work in the military also cultivates useful Unfortunately, many companies have not developed specialized policies to recruit veterans or don't understand how to properly hire them. Much of this is likely caused by misconceptions about veterans, a lack of awareness of their key traits, and cultural differences between the military and corporate life. This also means that many employers are missing out on the opportunity to hire these highly qualified and motivated individuals. Hilton Worldwide has taken steps to effectively recruit veterans for its hotels. In fact, the company expects to hire many thousands of veterans to staff its ranks. According to Melissa Sterling, who works as the director of military, campus, and youth programs in the company, military personnel are reserved about their accomplishments, so care has to be taken to ask them the right kinds of questions in interviews-the right questions get them to open up about their experiences and successes. Sterling provides training to individuals who are involved with hiring so that there is better understanding in the firm about how to effectively recruit veterans. Sterling also organized a roadshow in 10 different cit- ies that showcased to HR professionals and other personnel involved in hiring the importance of recruiting veterans. Training was provided to attendees about how to evaluate resumes and successfully interview individuals with prior military service. Members of regional veteran groups were also invited to have lunch with the attendees, and job fairs were organized so that recruiting efforts could begin for local hotel properties. Veterans currently working for the company were also invited to dinner gatherings that were organized after the sessions. Hilton Worldwide employs other strategies to recognize veterans for their service. Veterans are given pins represent- ing their military branches, and they are encouraged to wear these pins on their work uniforms. Similar to the military, employees are also given "challenge coins" to recognize indi- vidual contributions to the company's military program, and every hotel has a "commander" who coordinates this rec- ognition. All of these efforts have translated into a positive work culture for veterans, 108 QUESTIONS 1. What kinds of characteristics do you think veterans have that help them work effectively in companies? Why do you think veterans are sometimes overlooked in recruit- ing efforts? 2. How would you evaluate Hilton's strategy for recruiting veterans? What other suggestions would you provide the company?